Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 234

I Want to Publish My Book. Now What?

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This post is for all those people out there who don't know ANYTHING about the publishing
industry.



This post is for people who write me and say:



I've been thinking of publishing a book. How do I do that?

I want to publish my book, but don't know whether to go the traditional route or self-publishing
route. Which is better?

This post is for everyone unable to form a more specific question than:


How do I get my book published?




(For an audio complement to this post, please
listen to this Q&A panel I did at a bookstore in September 2010.)





1. Identify Your Genre or Category

Novelists and memoirists follow a different path to publication than nonfiction
authors.



NOVELS & MEMOIRS. You must have a finished and polished manuscript before you even
think about how to get published.



MOST NONFICTION. You must write a book proposal (basically like a business plan for
your book) that will convince a publisher to contract and pay you to write the book.



If you're writing a hybrid work (personal vignettes mixed with instruction, or a multi-genre
work that includes essays, stories, and poetry), then you likely have an unmarketable
book on your hands, and you should self-publish.

2. Understand the Technical Process

Getting published is a step-by-step process of:



Researching the appropriate agents or publishers for your work. (Writer's
Market is a good starting resource for all genres.)

Reading submission guidelines of agents and publishers.

Sending a query, proposal, or submission package.


The query letter is the time-honored tool for writers seeking publication. A query
letter is a sales letter that attempts to persuade an editor or agent to request a
full manuscript or proposal. (See my
favorite how-to post on novel queries by Marcus Sakey. And see this post on the basics
of book proposals if you're writing nonfiction.)



Important: Almost no agent or editor accepts full manuscripts
on first contact. This is what "No unsolicited materials" means when you
read submission guidelines.




However, almost every agent or publisher will accept a one-page query letter unless
their guidelines state otherwise. (If they do not accept queries, that means they
are a completely closed market, closed to new writers or submissions.)




Also important: Most major publishers will not accept unagented
work.

This means many writers should query agents rather than
publishers.

3. Seek an Agent If Needed

In today's market, probably 80 percent of books that the New York publishing
houses acquire are sold to them by agents. Agents are experts in the publishing industry.
They have inside contacts with specific editors and know better than writers what
editor or publisher would be most likely to buy a particular work.




Perhaps most important, agents negotiate the best deal for you, ensure you are paid
accurately and fairly, and run interference when necessary between you and the publisher.



Traditionally, agents get paid only when they sell your work, and receive a 15% commission
on everything you get paid (your advance and royalties). It is best to avoid agents
who charge fees, though standards are changing.



So … do you need an agent?

It depends on what you're selling. If you want to be published
by one of the major Big Six houses (e.g., Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster
…), probably.




If you're writing for a niche/specialized market, or have an academic/literary work,
then you might not need one. Agents are motivated to take on clients based on the
size of the advance they think they can get. If your project doesn't command a sizable
advance (at least 5 figures), then you may not be worth an agent's time, and you'll
have to sell the project on your own.

4. Can't I bypass this whole query/submission process? Isn't
it all about knowing someone?

Sometimes connections or communities can help. See
this post on the power of your network to help you get published.

5. Isn't traditional publishing dead? Shouldn't I self-publish?

Typically, writers who get frustrated by the endless process of submission
and rejection often look to self-publishing for satisfaction. Why waste countless
months or years trying to please this or that picky agent/editor when you can easily
get your book available on Kindle (or as print-on-demand) at almost no cost to you?

Such options may afford you the ability to hold your book
in your hands, but it will not get your book into stores or lead to many sales unless
you're willing to put significant and persistent effort into marketing and promotion.
Most self-published authors find that selling their book (or finding distribution)
is just as hard—if not harder than—finding a publisher or agent.



To the credit of many who self-publish, independent authors can be fiercely passionate
about their work and their process, and much happier and satisfied going it alone.
But those who succeed and profit often devote years of their life, if not their entire
lives, to marketing and promoting their work, and have a flair for entrepreneurship.
In short: It's a ton of work, like starting a small business (if you do it right).

So, you can self-publish, but it all depends on your goals.
Read more of my advice here:

Best
101 on Self-Publishing




No.
1 Most Important Factor for Writers Considering the Self-Pub Option


Also be sure to check
this post on your responsibility as an artist to put out good work. Just because
you CAN self-publish doesn't mean you should.

10 Things Aspiring Authors Must Understand About the Publishing
Industry




Publishing is a business, just like Hollywood or Broadway. Publishers, editors,
and agents support authors or projects that will make money and provide a good return
on investment. It used to be that this return on investment could happen over a period
of years or several books. Now, it needs to happen with one book and in less than
one year.

Professionalism and politeness go a long way toward covering up any amateur
mistakes you might make along the way.

Unless you live under a lucky star, you will get rejected again and again and again. The
query and submission process takes enormous dedication and persistence. We're talking
about years of work. Novelists and memoirists often face the biggest battle—there's
enormous competition.

Never call an agent or editor to query or ask questions (or just chat) if you
are not a client or author. Never query by telephone—and I wouldn't do it even if
the guidelines recommend it. You'll mess it up.

Agents and editors do not want you (a non-client or author) to visit them at their
offices. Do not plan a visit to New York and go knocking on doors, and don't ask
an agent/editor for a lunch or coffee appointment if you don't have a relationship
already. If you'd like to interact with an agent or editor, attend a writers conference.

When working with a traditional publisher, you have to give up a lot of power and
control. The publisher gets to decide the cover, the title, the design, the format,
the price, etc. You have to go through rounds of revisions and will likely have to
change things you don't want to change. But you must approach the process like a professional,
not a creative artist.

You must be an active marketer and promoter of your book. If you come to the
table with media savvy or an established platform (audience or readership), you'll
have an easier time getting that first deal.

For nonfiction authors: Don't go looking for a publishing deal because you're
looking for the authority or platform that a book can give you. Rather, you must already
have the platform and authority, and thus be qualified to write a book. YOU bring
the audience to the publisher, not the reverse.

If you write fiction or memoir, the writing quality matters above all else.
Read, practice, and polish. Repeat this cycle endlessly. It's not likely your first
attempt will get published. It will likely be your second, third, or fourth attempt.
Your writing gets better with practice and time. You mature and develop. If you
write nonfiction, the marketability of your idea (and your platform) matter above
all else. The quality of the writing may only need to be serviceable, depending on
the category we're talking about. (Certainly there are higher demands for narrative
nonfiction than prescriptive.)

Think beyond the book. A lot of writers have dreams of publishing a book because
it's a dream that's embedded in our DNA from an early age. We are trained to believe
that authors have some higher authority or credibility, and that we've really "arrived"
once we deliver that book into the world. But there are ways to be more successful,
and spread a message to even more people, that have nothing to do with authoring a
book. Make sure that your goals are best served by the book format. Increasingly,
in our digital age, a book is a poor option (or the final format) for your message
or service.



For all you beginners out there: What other questions or issues would you like to
see me cover?

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Don't Ration Out Your Ideas

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I love this piece of advice from Benjamin Percy, which is featured in the
latest bulletin from Glimmer Train. It's one of those things I wish all writers
could learn right away:

Most writers are conservative. By that I mean they
lock their best ideas in a vault and take pleasure in the richness of their stores,
like misers with their money. Maybe you have Moleskines full of hastily scribbled
notes. Or a corkboard next to your desk messy with images, structural blueprints,
articles ripped from magazines. Or at the very least a folder on your computer labeled
Stuff.



For every story or essay or poem you write, you withdraw one image, two characters,
maybe three of the metaphors you have stockpiled—and then slam shut the vault and
lock it with a key shaped like a skeleton's finger.



I used to be the same way, nervously rationing out my ideas.

Click here to read the full piece,
and find out why you should go ALL IN.

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Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 10/1/10)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.




Quick plug for upcoming Writer's
Digest online classes:




How
to Write Your Life Story or Memoir (October 21) by Linda Joy Meyers. Includes
a critique, plus a digital download of a how-to book on memoir.







Best of Best

7 deadly sins of prologues


@kristenlambtx




Very good article: "Authors Feel Pinch in Age of
E-Books" (via WSJ)

@MichaelHyatt



"The Artist's Responsibility" by @simonpulman (Just
because you CAN publish anything, doesn't mean you should.)


@glecharles

Getting Published, Agents/Editors

Asked and answered: picture book queries


@Kid_Lit

Publishing News & Trends

Reversal of Royalties: A Modest Proposal,
by Bob Mayer

@digibookworld

Marketing, Platform Building, Self-Promotion

How Authors And Writers Can Build An Email
List For Marketing


@thecreativepenn

Self-Publishing and E-Publishing

Why Agents May Be Opposed to Self-Publishing


@michaelhyatt

Blogging
& Websites

Why
you should blog to build your writing career even if you don't think you need to


@nickdaws




Writers: marketing should be a side benefit. Your blog
needs a higher purpose.


@40kBooks

Social Media
& Twitter

I
Will Be Your Friend, But I Will Not Be Your Fan: A Rant About How Authors Use Social
Media For Self-Promotion


@40kBooks

The Writing Life & Fun
Stuff

A
post addressed to 'those of you who also write' from best selling author Danielle
Steel


@Quotes4Writers



Making a Living as A Writer: Should Prose Writers Act
Like Poets?


@PublishersWkly

Looking for more?




Want to know about the best stuff I read each week?


Click here to subscribe
to my shared items.




Follow me on Twitter (@JaneFriedman)







List of Tweeps most
often included in weekly Best Tweets for Writers (always under development)



Follow Writer's Digest editors on Twitter: @writersdigest @brianklems @robertleebrewer @jessicastrawser @chucksambuchino @chadseibert @vanessa_lw @psexton1 @kellymesserly




Become a fan at the Writer's Digest Facebook
page (8,000+ fans)

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Listen to Free Q&A on Getting Published

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A couple weeks ago, Chuck Sambuchino &
I participated on a panel at Joseph-Beth
Booksellers (in Cincinnati) where we answered questions from aspiring writers
on how to get published.



Due to the kind efforts of Emily Schneider, I can now share with you the recording
of that Q&A session.



Click
here to listen (you'll be redirected to a blog I keep on Posterous).



Enjoy!

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The Power of Mentors, Community, and Relationships

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Last night, Chris Guillebeau paid a visit
to Cincinnati, as part of his Unconventional
Book Tour. (I had the honor of helping arrange some of the logistics of his stop.)



If you're not familiar with Chris, here are 2 good places to start:



His popular (free) manifesto, 279
Days to Overnight Success


Chris's recent article for Writer's Digest: The
Writer's Guide to Money and Passion




Several of us went out to dinner with Chris after his talk last night, including:



Adam Baker, Man Vs. Debt

Todd Henry, Accidental Creative

Matt Gartland, Healthy Lifestyle
Design



Matt & Adam haven't yet been contracted for a book, and at one point during the
evening, the discussion naturally drifted toward how one gets a book deal. Does the
agent come calling you, or do you go calling the agent?



There were examples of both scenarios, but perhaps what was most interesting (from
my perspective) is that no one really spoke of the query process, or mentioned listings/websites
for finding agents.



Rather, much of the discussion focused on serendipitous connections, existing networks,
and referrals—which, to me, seemed like a much less painful way to go about getting
a book deal.



What if you want to bypass the cold query process? Can you do it too?




My thoughts:

• Community. All of these people are part of a meaningful community
of like-minded entrepreneurs. They talk with each other, learn from each other, and
are able to network across a contact list larger than just their personal one.



• Mentorship. In some groups or communities, there's a strong sense of giving
back to others who are new and getting established. I do hear from many writers that
their success couldn't have been possible without the tough love or generosity of
an important mentor.



• Visibility and professionalism. Everyone at the dinner table last night is
highly visible online, and in a position to attract agents to them. Being online (and
active in social networks) opens up more opportunities and chances to meet the right
person who can help you. It also helps to clearly be a professional, solidly established,
with an audience. (I realize fiction writers may not have such an easy path as nonfiction
writers in this regard.)

Not everyone is going to have the community-building and networking strengths
of some of the people I had dinner with. But every writer should consider at least
one or two ways they can build a support network, become active in a community of
like-minded people, and/or find a mentor. Getting published is much easier when you
know a few people—who have the distance, experience, and savvy—to tell you how to
navigate a tricky industry.



P.S. That said, I highly encourage everyone to read this piece by Everett Maroon that analyzes
stories of how authors found their agents, and identifies 7 factors for success.


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Are Bloggers the New Gatekeepers in Publishing?

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Today's Q&A is with Michelle Black,
who is the author of six novels set in the Victorian West. Aside from writing, she
has been known to practice law, own a bookstore, publish a Cheyenne language course,
and snowboard. She and her husband divide their time between a home near Boulder,
Colorado, and a horse ranch outside Kansas City.




--




In 2001 Macmillan released your novel An Uncommon Enemy. Unfortunately, its
release coincided with 9/11, and it didn't really go anywhere. So
you decided to give it another life as an e-book. Before we talk about the results
from that, let's talk about how you got the rights back and how you converted it to
e-book format. What work or expense was involved in the re-release?

The terms of a rights reversion are typically spelled out in every author's
contract. Usually there is a term of years involved (in my case, five years from the
date of publication), and proof that the book is no longer "in print." The author
can then formally request in writing for a reversion of the rights to the book. The
publisher must either grant the reversion or prove that the book is still commercially
available.

 

Last year, I was shopping a new historical mystery novel around the marketplace and
began studying the recent developments in the publishing world. While I eventually
placed that novel, Séance in Sepia, with a commercial publisher (who will bring
it out in hardcover in October 2011), I got excited about the possibility of giving An
Uncommon Enemy a new life.

 

I was an early adopter of the electronic book format. I bought one of the first dedicated
electronic readers—the Rocket eBook in 1998. I fell in love with the Kindle soon after
it was introduced and knew that the world of electronic books was finally coming into
its own.

 

I next set myself to the task of learning the proper formatting techniques to create
a digital book. My manuscript was saved as a Word document—an essential first step
for everyone—but it was still a long way from publishing-ready. Like many authors
writing years ago without any thought of electronic publishing, I had not paid attention
to formatting. If a page "looked good" when it came out of the printer, that was all
I cared about.

 

I was in for some considerable work. That manuscript that looked so nice on the printed
page was actually riddled with hidden, random codes that would render an e-book unintelligible. I
found the best advice for making the necessary changes at Smashwords.


 

Once the formatting issues were hurdled, I focused on where and how to publish the
novel. Many websites charged hundreds, even thousands of dollars to "publish" a book.
Because the popularity of self-publishing has exploded in the last year, numerous
companies are trying to cash in on the phenomenon.


 

I quickly narrowed my search solely to sites offering to upload my book for free.
I chose Amazon's Kindle first, both because I
love reading books on my Kindle, but also because of the attractive 70% royalty Amazon
is currently offering. This would allow me to charge a modest price for my book and
still make a royalty almost comparable to the hardcover royalty I originally earned
through my New York publisher.



I also chose to use Smashwords because I wanted
my book available for my iPad, and a number of other e-book formats. (Smashwords has
since added a Kindle publishing feature, but when I first started, it did not.)

 

Both Kindle and Smashwords charged me nothing—nada, no dollars—to publish my book.
I want to emphasize this because I worry about all the newbie authors out there who
will try "self-publishing" sites or services that have more in common with old-fashioned
subsidy publishers than true self-publishing vehicles.




When other writers ask my advice, I always send them straight to the Writer
Beware website so they can check the latest information on this.

 

A blog's coverage of your novel—on
Kindle Nation—was the linchpin for your book becoming more visible and achieving
#1 in the Western category across all formats on Amazon. How did you get that coverage?

Kindle Nation offers a program called "Free Kindle Nation Shorts." 
The editor, Stephen Windwalker, will read your novel and, if he likes it, will review
it and publish a sample of it for all the subscribers to his Kindle Nation blog.


 

He liked An
Uncommon Enemy and gave it a wonderful endorsement. Kindle Nation subscribers
must have liked the first chapter because the book began selling within hours.

 

By the next day, the Amazon rankings for the book jumped from #124,000 to #127 in
the Kindle Store. For the genre rankings, the book rose to #7 for historical novels
and #1 for Western books.




For one brief, shining moment—well, actually about two weeks—my poor, beleaguered
book was rubbing shoulders with icons like Cormac McCarthy. It was exhilarating, to
say the least.

 

In what we both agree is an ironic counterpoint, Macmillan released the third book
in the series, The
Second Glass of Absinthe, in paperback and Kindle versions, the same week you
released An
Uncommon Enemy. Sales-wise, your re-release is kicking the ass of the new release.
What do you attribute this to? (And I assume this timing, on your part, was intentional?
A brilliant move.)

The timing was intentional only because I thought the Macmillan (Tor/Forge)
release might help my book out. It never occurred to me that the reverse might be
true!

 

I admit I am perversely enjoying the fact that my maiden effort is ranked 100,000
places ahead of its Big Six rival. Of course, I also admit that it is silly—I am competing
against myself and should want both to do well. But I am taking a bit of David-versus-Goliath
pride in my recent success.

 

But seriously, why is this occurring? The power of that blog review cannot be overstated.
Agents and publishers used to be called the gatekeepers on the publishing world. With
the advance of self-publishing, are bloggers the new gatekeepers?




Kindle Nation's Windwalker insists, "Feedback is the filter"—that online consumers
will make their reading choices based on reader feedback rather than publishing houses
making these decisions for them.

I think price is another major issue. An
Uncommon Enemy is listed for $2.99. The Macmillan book costs $7.99. As a consumer,
I think their price is too high.

Those who follow publishing news know that Macmillan has
been particularly vocal on the subject of e-book pricing and sparred publicly with
Amazon on the issue earlier this year. I think they should take a hard look at my
example and draw what conclusions they wish.

 

I'm curious what the folks at Macmillan think—are they happy
for you, or kicking themselves? Or maybe both. One must assume, in a book series,
that a rising tide lifts all boats?

I hope that they are happy for me. My relationship with Macmillan (Tor/Forge)
was an exercise in good news/bad news. First and foremost, I am grateful to them for
publishing three of my novels. The books were beautifully designed and I was well-compensated
for them.

 

On the other hand, I lost three editors in three years. Three orphaned books at the
same house must be some kind of publishing record. (I can laugh about it now, but
I certainly didn't enjoy it when it happened.)

 

Between 2001 and 2010, how would you characterize your activity as a marketer and
promoter of your work? What kinds of online activities are/were you engaged in?

The vast array of social networking options available now are the biggest
change from my experiences earlier in the decade. Today I love doing what I call "pajama
marketing." In other words, meeting, talking, and exchanging information with readers,
colleagues, publishers, and media outlets—all while setting at my breakfast table,
sipping my morning coffee. This is just a fabulous gift.

 

As far as which activities bear the most fruit, I think it is too early to gauge.
Most of these resources are still in their infancy. Facebook is only six years old,
Goodreads is four. Amazon is an "old-timer" at fifteen. All of them offer marvelous
networking and marketing opportunities.

One online activity I have recently come to love is blogging.
I started a blog last spring at the suggestion of my web designer. I didn't know what
I was doing or what I wanted to accomplish, but in the last couple of months, I have
grown to love it.


 

It is still in its formative stages, but I know that it is developing into a wonderful
creative outlet for me. If it ultimately benefits my writing career, whether to introduce
more readers to my work, or simply as a conduit to learn and make contact with others
for my own personal growth, that would be an additional gift.

You're working in a genre that many consider
next-to-unmarketable (or unpublishable): Western. How do you meet this challenge,
or what's your advice for writers who are either working across genres (uncategorizable
work) or passionate about writing in an unpopular category?

Genre labeling can help readers find books, but it can hurt sales when
a book is misidentified or, worse, does not slot neatly into any genre. My book was
not a "western" in the genre sense at all, but rather a historical novel that just
happened to be set in the American West.


 

A telling remark Stephen Windwalker made when reviewing An
Uncommon Enemy for Kindle Nation was this:

If I weren't for my efforts to be genre-agnostic,
I probably would not have gotten hooked on this novel. But the fact is that it can't
be pigeon-holed in a genre; it's just a great story, well told, with totally unexpected,
astonishingly well-imagined characters.

Bless the blogosphere for providing a platform by which a story that
was shoe-horned into an unpopular genre could be showcased to a general reading population.

 

That said, modern digital publishing, both e-books and print on demanad, turn the
economics of traditional publishing on its ear.  Commercial publishers have always
relied upon offset printing to create books. This system mandates large press runs
(and large sales) to make the venture commercially feasible.

Digital publishing, on the other hand, requires little upfront
expense after the initial editing, copyediting, and cover design. Books that might
never garner a mass audience now have an opportunity to put their work before the
public. This was not possible before.

 

Fortunately for me, my most recent novels have gravitated to the historical mystery
genre, but my imagination is restless. My current work-in-progress heads for Steampunk
territory. That's going to be fun.

 

So, now that you've tasted success by publishing your work
independently, are you less inclined to go the traditional publishing route for future
works? Why or why not?

I think the most exciting aspect of publishing right now is the wide array
of avenues available to authors. As I mentioned, I have already sold my next book, Séance
in Sepia, to a traditional press, but I hope to use the skills I have gained through
my digital experiment with An
Uncommon Enemy to increase my own options with that work as well. Since that
publisher focuses on hardcover format, one year after the publication of Séance,
I may be publishing the book in e-book and print-on-demand formats.

 

Anything else?

Just got the proofs for the print-on-demand version of An Uncommon
Enemy. The adventure continues.

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Go check out Michelle Black's blog,
The Victorian West, or read more about An
Uncommon Enemy at Amazon.


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Basic Writing Principles Across All Media

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Last week, I mentioned that I was prepping for a class on timeless
writing principles for my students who are majoring in e-media. Today during class,
I opened up the question to my knowledge network on Twitter, and received some excellent
feedback.




[I've bolded the ones that I had in my actual presentation before opening the question
up to Twitter!]

Always, always, always consider your audience.


@LaurieBoris



Make sure the rhythm is right. Good writing grooves like good music :-)

@jackiesface



Less is more, especially when it comes to modifiers. If you modify everything,
then you modify nothing.


@KristenLambTX



Yes--Study Marshall McLuhan. The medium is, indeed, the message.

@Deffree



Read your work out loud. Holds true for fiction, blogs, articles, everything. If it
sounds wrong out loud, it needs editing.

@kimswitzer



Don't use the qualifier 'very.'


@geoffrey_little



One that gives me the most trouble - Write now, rewrite later. Don't try to
do both at the same time.


@1stine



If an adjective or adverb adds no higher value to the sentence, get rid of it.


@lightherlamp



Less is best. Be concise.


@DJordanLane




My rule - know your audience.


@MaestroDSCH



Try second person in article or blog ledes.

@DavidRutsala




"Be specific." Vague sentences don't work when you're limited by time. You can't be
James Joyce on social media.

@Veronica_Jarski



No secret - describe w/verbs. "He dashed out the door." Not "He ran quickly
out the door."

@Gary_at_PROSOCO



My Fav !! Keep the sentences short

@cothrust



Tell the truth. Or go into advertising.

@Ditchwalk



Give your characters depth; emotion, struggles, challenges, reasons, bring them to
life. Quality before quantity.

@BuddhistKnight



Expect re-writes and edits, they're not a negative, they're an essential. Go
back, make it better when ideas call


@BuddhistKnight



If you lack motivation; set yourself a minimum of say one quality page a day,
it releases pressure, then expand.

@BuddhistKnight



The five paragraph essay. Never fails me.

@booksquare



Get who vs whom right, and don't confuse bring with take; then make each sentence
so beautiful that I wish I had written it.

@askjohnabout



Plus, if it doesn't sound like  something you would actually SAY, then it probably
won't seem very authentic. Use your voice.


@askjohnabout



Keep cutting until you get message across with lowest possible word count. Simplicity
is an art!

@BucksWriter

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Back to Basics: Why Am I Getting Rejected?

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Rejection is often the No. 1 area of pain, concern, and obsession for writers. More
often than not, writers want to know WHY they've been rejected. Here's the standard
advice I most frequently offer.



Why are editors rejecting my work when family and friends love it so much?

Your family and friends love you and see you in your work. An editor doesn't know
you and is often more objective, especially when it comes to marketability. Publishing
professionals have distance; you and your clo...

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/24/10)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.




Quick plug for upcoming Writer's
Digest online classes:




How
to Write & Sell Science Fiction/Fantasy Novels by agent Kristin Nelson. (Includes
critique of your pitch!), on September 30







Best of Best

Agent...

Stop! Before You Post Your Work Online, Read This

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Today I'm a guest over at Writer Unboxed:

Giving
Stuff Away Is Not a Strategy

I discuss how and when you might want to give your work away for free,
and how strategies differ between published and unpublished writers—as well as between
fiction and nonfiction writers.



Go
check it out!




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